SEARCA News

The Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) launches a new look on its 15th year of publication, symbolic of the pivotal turn in its publisher's goal to contribute in addressing regional and global challenges, elevating agricultural families' quality of life through sustainable and resilient livelihoods and access to modern networks and markets. The new AJAD look highlights the iconic "tree" emblem of its publisher, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), which shows a molave tree with an interlace of grain stalks and panicles wreathed under its roots. In the same way, AJAD… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – SEARCA scholars Mr. Tran Manh Hai (Vietnam) and Mr. Saiphou Lormaisim (Lao PDR) presented the results of their respective research studies during the SEARCA Graduate Seminar Series (GSS) on 06 December 2019. Both SEARCA scholars conducted research on the livestock sector which is an important part of their respective countries' GDP. Mr. Tran Manh Hai is a lecturer at Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) since 2009 teaching rural development, development economics, and development theories for undergraduate students. He received his Bachelor's degree and Master's degree in Agricultural Economics at Hanoi National Economics University, Vietnam. Through… Read more

BANGKOK, Thailand – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project "Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security Concerns", or ATMI-ASEAN, organized the Regional Workshop cum Roundtable Discussion on ASEAN Economic Integration on 28-29 November 2019 at Novotel Bangkok Platinum Pratunam. ATMI-ASEAN is being implemented by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) as lead, and SEARCA as partner. ATMI-ASEAN Project objectives are aimed at supporting the ASEAN and its member states through designing policies and programs that are expected… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – SEARCA scholar Hoang Le Huong (Vietnam) received the Best in Grammar and Academic Writing special award during the closing ceremony of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), Language Instruction Towards Excellence (LITE) Program on Intensive English Course for International Graduate Students for first semester AY 2019-2020. With her were seven other SEARCA scholars who took the intensive lessons to develop their competency in the English language in terms of speech, reading and vocabulary, grammar, and academic writing. They were the 43rd batch to finish the course on 02… Read more

In order to provide consumers updated science-based information on the benefits and the unblemished safety record of biotech products, the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP) worked with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture-Biotechnology Information Center (SEARCA-BIC) in organizing a forum on the development and adoption of biotech crops for food and feed in the Philippines. During the forum, around 50 participants coming from different food manufacturing companies, technology developers, and members of the academe had the opportunity to interact with the country's leading technology developers to… Read more

Former SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center (BIC) head Dr. Maria Monina Cecilia Q. Arcelo-Villena was posthumously hailed as one of this year's Filipino Faces of Biotechnology for her significant contributions in the field of science communication. Dr. Villena was also the former head of SEARCA's Knowledge Management Department. Ma'am Nina, as she was fondly called by her colleagues, was instrumental in initiating and facilitating discussions on biotechnology with the government's legislative and judicial branches as well as other key stakeholders in the country. Through various projects to create public awareness and to reach out to farmers, consumers, students, and policymakers, Ma'am… Read more

Knowing the importance of factual journalism in promoting biotechnology, SEARCA, through its Biotechnology Information Center (BIC), the Joe Burgos Pen, Inc., Department of Agriculture (DA)-Biotechnology Program Office, DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research, and the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines teamed up to recognize the country's leading science and technology journalists. This year's awardees, who were recognized based on the best news and feature stories in the past year, include Louise Maureen Simeon, Ace June Rell Perez, Stephanie Tumampos, Jasper Arcalas, and Charissa Luci-Atienza. Institutional awards were also given to Business Mirror, the Philippine Star, and Manila Bulletin for publishing the most… Read more

Recognizing the importance of integrating research, effective communication, and science-based regulatory frameworks in harnessing the full potential of agribiotechnology to fuel sustainable agricultural development, SEARCA partnered with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA) Southeast Asia, Malaysian Biotechnology Information Center (MABIC), and Monash University in organizing the Asian Short Course on Agribiotechnology, Biotechnology Regulation, and Communication (ASCA). It will run from December 2-6, 2019 in the Philippines. Now on its second year, this program aims to enable participants to have a better understanding of the entire value chain of living modified organisms (LMOs), as well as national… Read more

Taipei, Taiwan – Executive Board members of the University Consortium attended the 32nd Executive Board Meeting on 21-22 November 2019 at National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei, Taiwan. Regular Member institutions represented in the meeting include: Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) represented by Dr. Robiah Yunus, Dean, School of Graduate Studies, and Mr. Saiful Maskan, Senior Assistant Registrar; Kasetsart University (KU) represented by Dr. Buncha Chinnasri, Assistant to the President, and Dr. Naroon Waramit, Assistant to the President for Academic and International Affairs, Kamphaeng Saen Campus; Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) represented by Dr. Djagal Wiseso Marseno, Vice Rector for Education, Learning… Read more

Taipei, Taiwan – The National Taiwan University (NTU) served as host for the 32nd Executive Board Meeting on 21-22 November 2019. The institution was formally accepted as an Associate Member of the University Consortium (UC) early this year. NTU is one of the top comprehensive and research-oriented universities in Taiwan. It provides a diverse, competitive, and international curriculum while insisting on a strong academic training for cutting-edge research and development. It is also one of the world's preeminent research and education institutes that provides leadership and academic excellence in a wide array of disciplines across science, arts, and the humanities… Read more